REVIEW: "Understanding PKI", Carlisle Adams/Steve Lloyd

BKUNDPKI.RVW 20031107

"Understanding PKI", Carlisle Adams/Steve Lloyd, 2003, 0-672-32391-5,
U$49.99/C$77.99
%A Carlisle Adams
%A Steve Lloyd
%C P.O. Box 520, 26 Prince Andrew Place, Don Mills, Ontario M3C 2T8
%D 2003
%G 0-672-32391-5
%I Addison-Wesley Publishing Co.
%O U$49.99/C$77.99 416-447-5101 fax: 416-443-0948
%O http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...bsladesinterne
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/...bsladesinte-21
%O http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASI...bsladesin03-20
%P 322 p.
%T "Understanding PKI"

Part one is about concepts. Chapter one (and the first chapter of
every section) is an outline of the contents of this part of the book.
A simple introduction to symmetric cryptography, and the basics of
asymmetric, is provided in chapter two. The purpose and components of
a public key infrastructure (PKI) is reviewed in chapter three.
Chapter four relates core PKI to the standard security model of
confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Some extension of the
basic services is given in chapter five (although there is no mention
of the most common hybrid form of encryption). Certificates and some
fundamentals of certification are in chapter six. Chapter seven looks
at key and certificate management. Certificate revocation, in chapter
eight, is oddly undetailed in comparison to the previous material.
Chapters nine to thirteen cover, in short order, trust models,
certificate and information dissemination, operational factors, and
digital signature legislation. What PKI does, and doesn't, do is
presented in chapter fourteen, which probably should have come earlier
in the book. Chapter fifteen speculates on the future of PKI.
Chapter sixteen, and the last chapter of every part, outlines
conclusions and further reading. The material is very terse: in this
case, only two pages.

Part two is entitled standards. There is the introduction, and then
chapter eighteen lists major standards. The status of some of those
standards is discussed in chapter nineteen. Chapter twenty provides
examples of the piloting of standards, and points out that the
standards do not always confer interoperability. The reading list in
chapter twenty one is a bit bigger than that in sixteen.

Part three concerns deployment. There is a generic cost/benefit
argument in chapter twenty three. Chapters twenty four and twenty
five basically reiterate earlier material in regard to deployment.
Some specific issues are mentioned in regard to the business models
discussed in chapter twenty six. There are almost no conclusions and
suggestions for further reading in chapter twenty seven.

This book does cover many issues associated with PKI, but in a very
pedestrian fashion. There is nothing here that is not covered by many
volumes dealing with cryptography as a general topic, such as
Schneier's "Applied Cryptography" (cf. BKAPCRYP.RVW) or the simpler
works like Mel and Baker's "Cryptography Decrypted" (cf.BKCRPDEC.RVW).
Indeed, any number of general security texts provide as much detail on
PKI as does this book.

copyright Robert M. Slade, 2003 BKUNDPKI.RVW 20031107

--
======================

"If you do buy a computer, don't turn it on." - Richards' 2nd Law
============= for back issues:
[Base URL] site http://victoria.tc.ca/techrev/
or mirror http://sun.soci.niu.edu/~rslade/
CISSP refs: [Base URL]mnbksccd.htm
Security Dict.: [Base URL]secgloss.htm
Security Educ.: [Base URL]comseced.htm
Book reviews: [Base URL]mnbk.htm
[Base URL]review.htm
Partial/recent: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/techbooks/
Security Educ.: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/comseced/
Review mailing list: send mail to techbooks-

Rob Slade, doting grandpa of Ryan and Trevor

Just bought it a Barnes & Noble a few weeks ago. $50.00 US - It ain't cheap.

Thumbs Up.

Dave



"Rob Slade, doting grandpa of Ryan and Trevor" <> wrote in message
news:_ifLb.16$...
| BKUNDPKI.RVW 20031107
|
| "Understanding PKI", Carlisle Adams/Steve Lloyd, 2003, 0-672-32391-5,
| U$49.99/C$77.99
| %A Carlisle Adams
| %A Steve Lloyd
| %C P.O. Box 520, 26 Prince Andrew Place, Don Mills, Ontario M3C 2T8
| %D 2003
| %G 0-672-32391-5
| %I Addison-Wesley Publishing Co.
| %O U$49.99/C$77.99 416-447-5101 fax: 416-443-0948
| %O http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...bsladesinterne
| http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/...bsladesinte-21
| %O http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASI...bsladesin03-20
| %P 322 p.
| %T "Understanding PKI"
|
| Part one is about concepts. Chapter one (and the first chapter of
| every section) is an outline of the contents of this part of the book.
| A simple introduction to symmetric cryptography, and the basics of
| asymmetric, is provided in chapter two. The purpose and components of
| a public key infrastructure (PKI) is reviewed in chapter three.
| Chapter four relates core PKI to the standard security model of
| confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Some extension of the
| basic services is given in chapter five (although there is no mention
| of the most common hybrid form of encryption). Certificates and some
| fundamentals of certification are in chapter six. Chapter seven looks
| at key and certificate management. Certificate revocation, in chapter
| eight, is oddly undetailed in comparison to the previous material.
| Chapters nine to thirteen cover, in short order, trust models,
| certificate and information dissemination, operational factors, and
| digital signature legislation. What PKI does, and doesn't, do is
| presented in chapter fourteen, which probably should have come earlier
| in the book. Chapter fifteen speculates on the future of PKI.
| Chapter sixteen, and the last chapter of every part, outlines
| conclusions and further reading. The material is very terse: in this
| case, only two pages.
|
| Part two is entitled standards. There is the introduction, and then
| chapter eighteen lists major standards. The status of some of those
| standards is discussed in chapter nineteen. Chapter twenty provides
| examples of the piloting of standards, and points out that the
| standards do not always confer interoperability. The reading list in
| chapter twenty one is a bit bigger than that in sixteen.
|
| Part three concerns deployment. There is a generic cost/benefit
| argument in chapter twenty three. Chapters twenty four and twenty
| five basically reiterate earlier material in regard to deployment.
| Some specific issues are mentioned in regard to the business models
| discussed in chapter twenty six. There are almost no conclusions and
| suggestions for further reading in chapter twenty seven.
|
| This book does cover many issues associated with PKI, but in a very
| pedestrian fashion. There is nothing here that is not covered by many
| volumes dealing with cryptography as a general topic, such as
| Schneier's "Applied Cryptography" (cf. BKAPCRYP.RVW) or the simpler
| works like Mel and Baker's "Cryptography Decrypted" (cf.BKCRPDEC.RVW).
| Indeed, any number of general security texts provide as much detail on
| PKI as does this book.
|
| copyright Robert M. Slade, 2003 BKUNDPKI.RVW 20031107
|
| --
| ======================
|
| "If you do buy a computer, don't turn it on." - Richards' 2nd Law
| ============= for back issues:
| [Base URL] site http://victoria.tc.ca/techrev/
| or mirror http://sun.soci.niu.edu/~rslade/
| CISSP refs: [Base URL]mnbksccd.htm
| Security Dict.: [Base URL]secgloss.htm
| Security Educ.: [Base URL]comseced.htm
| Book reviews: [Base URL]mnbk.htm
| [Base URL]review.htm
| Partial/recent: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/techbooks/
| Security Educ.: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/comseced/
| Review mailing list: send mail to techbooks-
|

David H. Lipman